Opening: The crowd seemed pretty pumped for this show, which is always good. When Annaleigh came out in her bubble people clapped and came really close to getting a full-on applause going, which was nice because it’s rare (at least in shows I’ve seen) that Glinda gets any applause But Annaleigh deserves TONS of applause. She’s just amazing. I saw the Behind the Emerald Curtain tour before the show, and it was hosted by Don and Jill, so I spent the whole time waiting for/watching them haha But anyway, when Dee came out there was a decent applause which was great. I’m not the biggest Dee fan, but I love her mannerisms, especially in the beginning of the show. She just seems...hurt, I think is the right word, and that’s how I’ve always pictured Elphaba. I dislike the “nasty” Elphabas haha Dee is just great at being assertive but not so angry that you feel uncomfortable. When I first saw Barbara, I was like, “where’s Rondi?” haha (yeah...I didn’t do my research before the show, and I feel kind of bad) I am a HUGE Rondi fan, so I was a little upset at first. But Barbara ended up being fantastic, and I’m so glad I got to see her
Same thing with Ted, I didn’t realize we had a new Boq in OZ. But I didn’t much care for the previous Boq (maybe because I loved Telly so much haha) but Ted was great.TWaI: This is the first time I’ve been up close enough to see Dee’s facial expressions. I was a huge Sho fan because of her facial expressions, so I have to admit I’m a bit biased, but Dee does a good time making me believe that she believes what she’s singing. So that’s a plus...on the other side, though, I kind of wish she’d give MORE when she sings...she does in some numbers, but not in all. I prefer her acting to her singing, I guess.
WitF: LMAO Annaleigh!! I love how she holds out the end of describbbbbbeA lol She’s so frickin cute! I like how Dee does Glinda’s little foot-tap mockery thing, too. Hahaha It reminds me a lot of Kristy; she always did a great job in this song (miss her!) When the ensemble comes out in this number and sides with Galinda, I love Dee’s reactions...again with the sad, hurt girl. One of the only Elphabas to not look simply POed at the whole situation. My only qualm with this number is the “boo” at the end – the ensemble always overpowers Galinda’s scream (which is one of my favorite parts lol)
Classroom/SB: First of all, I want Annaleigh’s spirit fingers
Now on to the best part of this scene: K. Todd Freeman!! This guy is great – I’ve never cared much about that old goat, but I do when he’s playing I don’t know if he always does this, but when he said GAlinda, he spit and then wiped it off of the girl’s face with his hoof. It was hilarious!! He just kind of cocked his head and then put his hand to her cheek lol I was rolling. I also love his voice, and he sounds good with Dee.Fiyero’s Arrival/DTL: Dee’s reaction to the “green meant go” is utterly priceless; it’s like an “I give up” look, so believable! Ted did a pretty good job here, I thought; he’s subtle, which is refreshing. He did this little eye roll thing when Fiyero sings, “I’ve been kicked out of enough of them to know.” I spent most of this number focusing on Kris (probably because I’m in love haha). I want to dance like that hahaha I paid close attention to him when Galinda is convincing Boq to ask Nessa to the dance; it’s funny how he looks impressed haha
OH!! I think I may be one of the only people who cracks up at this point...but when Nessa says “munchkin boy” and makes a little box with her hands, I lose it haha Seriously, the lady next to me looked at me like I was nuts. It’s so good though!! Heidi is the only Nessa I’ve ever liked haha
The Dance: Still going on about Dee being hurt...it just makes me want to hug her... I think her dance is a little over-the-top awkward, but it’s really beautiful when she and Annaleigh dance together.
Popular: Annaleigh adds to this every single time I see her! This time she was rocking out on her bed before the scene started. She’s adorable! The look on her face when Dee said, “do funerals count” was priceless, too. The hip thing when she says popular, the smacking of her lips lol, all classic! And the audience applauded her little backbend at the end of the song, too. I love a great audience. And the pause made Dee’s “this is never going to work” even funnier. And then...Dee almost completely lost it hahahaha During the toss-toss she has a WONDERFUL preparation, and then she tried to laugh like Galinda and could hardly keep from laughing for real. I wasn’t sure she’d make it haha I think Annaleigh has one of the greatest Populars on record...Megan was always my favorite, but...man, I’m rethinking that!
INtG: This is one of my favorite songs, and I’m just left wanting more emotion from Dee.
OSD: Stunning, as always. Dee had an emotional, “somewhere I belong” line here, which was great
SM: Gene is great; I don’t think I’d like the wizard scenes at all if it wasn’t for him. He just has a pure voice, I love it.
DG: The girls sang well together here. The show was overall emotion-packed when they sang together...not sure what was up, but a lot of tears were shed. It looked like Annaleigh was crying when she let Elphie go here. I like the look on Dee’s face in this song; like she’s having an epiphany. It’s subtle and certain. She’s a very talented actress. While I wish she riffed more (well, at all haha) she does have a very beautiful voice, and this song was flawless.
TG: I don’t WANT to like Glinda and Fiyero together haha but Annaleigh always manages to make me hurt for her in this song. I think the end of Thank Goodness is the most wonderfully written pieces in the show. Annaleigh tears up quite a lot in the piece, and she has a great “that thrill” She always makes me cry here.
WWotE: Another one of the most beautiful parts in the show, I think, is when Heidi is singing WWotE and Dee is chanting in the background. They sound perfect together.
Wonderful: Standard, not a lot to say good or bad.
ALaYM: Dee kind of lost steam here, but Kris was dead on. He did a WONDERFUL riff a the end, and I melted. *dies* I do like Dee’s “I feel Wicked,” though. I remember being slightly terrified by Kristy’s back in the day...haha
Cat Fight: YESSSSSS!! Hahaha Dee and Analeigh have great chemistry here. And I like how Dee is TICKED when Glinda thinks that she stole Fiyero. She also has a good cackle...whole scene was flawless.
NGD: Dee’s second “Fiyero” in this is just amazing. Why doesn’t she do all of her songs like this?? I like how she makes this song not frantic, it’s more like a realization.
FG: EMOTIONAL!!! Annaleigh was crying before she even started singing, and Dee wiped away her tears. I was crying much earlier than I usually do haha I’ve never been able to see Dee’s face in this song, so I don’t know if she always cries, but I like it when Elphie cries in this scene. It seems like she would/should, to me. Something about their voices didn’t mesh completely in this song, but their faces and emotions made up for it. And it breaks my heart every time Chistery says, “Miss Glinda.” Awww haha
Finale: I get excited every time Fiyero opens that trap door. Every.time. This may be the most beautiful piece in musical history IMO lol Annaleigh is fabulous in this...I like how she can cry, and also sound flawless.
Well, sorry for the looong review, but I can’t help myself. Hope you skimmed
lol-Katie